Pneumatic wheel.



'0, P. DOWNING.

PNEUMATIC WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1910.

Patented May 30, 1911.

6' [Juucnhn u l/ mosses reference is to be had to -scr1-pt1on and accompan which:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO P. DOWNINQ,

OF PECOS, TEXAS.

PNEUMATIC VVI'IEEL.

Application filed April 25, 1910. Serial No. 557,583.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O'r'io I. Dowxrx'c, citizen of the United States, residing at Pecos, in the county of- Reeves and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic \Vhecls,

" siliency of structure so as to insure of the absorption of the shocks incident to travel.

A further object of the invention is a wheel of this character which possesses to a marked degree the characteristics of simplicity, durability and cfiiciency, which is both strong and light, and which consists of comparatively few parts and is not likely to get out of order.

\Vith these and other objects in view as will. more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations .of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

.For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction,

iiowing dc- ;g drmving, in

Figure lis a side elevation of a wheel constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectionv on the iii.- 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. is. an enlarged rotary sectional view.-

Corrcsporniing and like parts are referred to in the following description iJ-nd indi cated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

My improved vehicle whee] includes a hub 1, which is preferably in the form 0.1 a metallic shell, the central portion of which constitutes an axle boxing Q. The boxing is inleriorly enlarged. at its opposite ends in the usual i'nanncr, and the inner end of th boxin is extended i'mymui the inner end "ii iii; body portion of the. hub, as shown.

he hub is formed in its n-i'i )licr with a continuous concave groove '1. that is arranged in opposed relation to a continuous roove 5 formed in the inner surface of an annular frame or spoke ring 6 which encircles the hub in spaced relation thereto. The grooves 4- and 5 c0act to constitute a seat for a pneumatic tube or cushion 7, the function of which is to yicldably support the frame 0 from the hub. The hub is cut-away as'at S substantially flush with the bottom of the groove 4. at the outer-side of such groove, in order to provide a comparatively wide entrance into the seat to permit the pneumatic tube to be conveniently moved laterally into or out of position, according as desired.

The annular frame 6 is movable between twoside plates or disks 5) and 10 that projcct outwardly from the hub on opposite sides of thc groove l and in substantially parallel relation. The side plate 9 is disposed on the inner side of the groove and is rigid with the hub and is substantially flush with the inner end thereof. Reinforcing websv or ribs 11 radiate from the extended inner-end of the boxing 2 and extend across the inner end of the hub and the side plate 9, whereby to materially strengthen the structure of the wheeh. The other side plate 10 is separate from the hub and is detachably secured thereto in any suitable manner.

In the present instance, the hub is reduced and cxtcriorly threaded, as indicated at 12, bctwccu its outer end and the cut-away portion 8, and the ide plate is interiorly threaded to screw on this reduced portion. The side plate-is formed with an inwardly projOCllIlg annular rib 13 that fits snugl around the cut-away portion 8, the rib being wedge-shaped in cross section so as to term: the pneumatic tube 7 against the side plate 9 and to hold the pneumatic plate firmly seated ii the grooves l and 5.

The outer portions of the side plates are connected together-at suitable intervals by a. plurality of bolts 14 which pass through 'n-cl'erably circular openings 15 in the anuular frame (3. The bolts prevent the side plates from spreading apart and in addition to this function also serve to limit any rotary movement of the frame (5 relative to the hub. The openings 15 are, of course, sullicicntly large to allord the bolts necessary play upon the yielding movement of the frame 0 towa rd and away from the hub.

In order to cause the frame 6 to move freely between the side plates 9 and 10, I

provide packing rings l6,.of felt or the-like,

formed in the side faces of said frame. Suitable springs 18 are also mounted within the grooves 17 and force the packing rings against the adjacent faces of the side plates to insure against the admission of dust or other foreign matter between the parts. As a further expedient, the side plates have their opposing faces recessed, as indicated at 19, between the packing joints and the hub 1 so as to be spaced apart from the sides of the frame 6 to provide oil spaces or chambers into which the lubricant may be introduced through one or more inlets 20 formed in each of the side plates.) the inlets being normally closed by screw plugs.

The annular frame (3 is preferably hollow for the sake of lightness. Extending radially from this frame is a series of spokes 21 that are secured to the rim 22 of the wheel. A metallic band 23 encircles the rim i and has a tire or tread '24 of solid rubber fitted therearound.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be apparent that in the practical operation of a wheel constructed in accordance with my invention, the pneumatic tube will permit the circumferential portion of the wheel to yield to accommodate itself to any un evenness of the ground and to efiectually absorb the shocks incident to travel and thus supplement the action of the vehicle springs. The wheel will be found particularly desirable for use on automobiles or like motordriven vehicles, but it is to be understood that it is not limited to any such use but is susceptible of general application.

The inflation cushion 25 of the pneumatic I tube 7 passes into the interior of the hollow hub with its extremity projecting through and beyond the inner end of the hub and housed within line of the reinforcing webs 11, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The inflation tube is thus rendered readily accessible when desired for use, and at the same time is effectually protected against accidental ini tv- Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A wheel including a hub having a continuous peripheral groove, a frame encircling the hub and formed in its inner surface with a continuous groove co-acting with the first-named groove to constitute a seat, a pneumatic tube fitted in said seat to yieldably support the frame from the-hub, the hub being cut-away on one'side of the, groove therein to provide an enlarged entrance to the seat, side plates projecting outwardly from the hub on opposite sides of the firstnamed groove and confining the frame therebetwe'en, one of the side plates being rigid with the hub and the other side plate being detachably secured thereto, a plurality of spokes radiating from the frame, and a rim secured to the spokes, the detachable plate being formed with an inwardly projecting qannular rib encircling the cut-away portion of the hub and wedge-shaped in cross section and fitting against the pneumatic tube to hold the same firmly seated in the co-acting grooves.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTTO P. DOWNING. [L. s.] Witnesses:

J. F. MCKEN I S. D. Commas. 

